Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to move on from the issue of getting people out of hospital and into step-down care facilities to the issue of providing home care when patients no longer need to be in such facilities or in hospital. In the Cork and Kerry region at the moment we have the longest waiting list for home care hours in the country. Why is that the case? What mechanisms are being put in place to make sure that decisions are taken at an early date for those who require home care and that suitable people are identified to provide that care?